Pretty good review, coming from a Yugo owner. Make sure you put that Yugo in your signature line!

 

I didn't think of that when I answered him on the Yamaha posting. Everyone owes it to themself to hear a song by Paul Shanklin called "In a Yugo". First time I heard it I almost fell over laughing.

 

This is funny check it out!! In A Yugo by Paul Shanklin.... Not as funny as Bitterfitter, but still very funny and it's the same color as my wife's. And here's another one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZzKUt4OtE8

 

I'm just amazed that there is actually a running Yugo left in exsistence....

 

We almost lost our Yugo three years ago when it kicked a rod out the side of the block. Well the piston was sticking out so I was able to remove the piston from the rod. Than I could turn the motor over by hand so I could get to the rod bolts an get them loose than get the rod off the crank. So I figured I would try to patch it back together. I got my chop saw out and cut the rod off right next to the big end by the rod bearing, than went to the bench grinder and ground it round to match the cap side. The bearing still looked good so I put the cut off rod back on the crank to keep the motor from bleeding oil pressure out the oil hole in the crank. For the hole in the block I used my die grinder to clean up the area around the hole and found some scrap aluminum and made a patch the size of the hole than I used J&B Weld to stick the patch on the block. I let it dry for three days before I started it up and it did not leak any oil. I turned it off and took the valve cover off and removed the rocker arms for that cylinder so no gas would go into the crankcase. Yea it shakes a little more than before it happened but you can't tell it when your driving and I think the gas mileage went up a little. It's been a great little car!!

 

As I own an '07 Griz EPS and 2 '09 850 XPs and I've done a couple thousand miles on each, I'd thought I'd add my 2 cents worth.

4X4 system: I prefer the Griz 4x4 - I love that I can choose 3wd or 4wd. The Polaris "true 4wd" system tends to want to push straight ahead, and can be very difficult to turn on tight slippery trails.


HEAD LIGHTS: The XP shines brighter. Add xenons and WOW! But, I never switched the Griz to xenons, fwiw.


FOOT WELLS: The Griz footwells may have a metal "grip", but seem to be more exposed to catching whatever is on the trail. TIE

POWER: The XP. Low end. Mid range. High end. The XP. End of story!

Motor/Vibration/Smoothness: As in power, clearly the XP.

RIDE QUALITY: Absolutely no question - The Polarises are know for ride quality and they have more than lived up to their reputation. The Griz feels very "tippy". The Griz is definitely more nimble on the trail but will beat you up doing it. The XP is definitely the Caddy of quads

GAS TANK FILLER: The Griz has an overflow that redirects to the ground - benefit! But, it is recessed and more difficult to put the gas nozzle into. The gas cap on the Griz keeps pressure in the system and has been known to throw gas back into the face of the operator if he/she does not relieve pressure before opening it. There are bulletins from Yamaha on this but from what I've read you have to fight to get it fixed by the dealer. (I've just lived with it and open the gas cap on the Griz slowly when the quad is warm)

MILAGE: Griz. Popo's suck for milage.

GROUND CLEARANCE: XP. I added bash guards & suspension guards to my first Popo (SP700) after ripping 4 CV boots & bashing the brush guard. (hard lesson learned). I had to ride the Griz the first ride out without any metal guards as they were on order - busted the he** out of the plastic brush guard. I still have not put any metal guards on the XPs - and have not yet had any damage underneath. Gotta go with the XP here.

GEAR SHIFTER: Never had any problems with either quad causing me any bruises here. The XP seems less prone to stickyness due to "conditions" (i.e. having to stop quickly on a hill or mud hole to down shift). Very slight advantage XP

DRIVE BELT SYSTEM: I've had no problems with either quad & I tend to be slow to downshift to low. Tie

ESP: I bought the Griz specifically for the EPS. Way better than my '05 SP700. I have purchase both my 850XPs WITHOUT ESP as both me & MRS BMQ felt that the XPs with EPS lost too much feel for the trail. However... neither one of us has ridden an XP EPS on a trail - only in the dealer parking lot. Out on the trail, the Griz' EPS IS better than the XP WITHOUT EPS, but not by much. The difference IS a little more pronounced now that I have Bighorns on my XP. Advantage - Griz. *Caveat... as stated, I have not ridden an XP EPS on a trail. BUT, I still would rather have the extra 3/4 gal of gas on my non-EPS XP as the XP Non-EPS is still so far advanced from any other Non-EPS quad available.

EXHAUST SOUND: Easliy the XP

HITCH: The Griz has none from the factory. The XP has an 1 1/4" hitch. I had to get an after market hitch for the Griz. That 2" hitch is bulky on the Griz. The XP 1 1/4" is rated far more than the XP is rated to pull. XP

PAINT: Both have scratch marks. The Griz (blue) has stretch marks. The XPs (black) get dirty too easily (isn't that why we have quads - mudding?) Tie

RACK SYSTEM: The Polaris lock-n-ride system is great - unless you carry a lot of weight. The Griz is a once-you-install-it-it's-there-forever system. I've custom modded my XP so I can attach a gas can to the lock-n-ride box, have it stay on & not rattle, & still remove the entire setup in under a minute. XP wins, but only 'cuz I modded it.

STORAGE: The Griz has the waterproof compartment in the right fender. Perfect for the registration, TP & low pressure air guage. Advantage Griz. *caveat - I bought the Griz storage compartment pieces & added them to my '05 SP700 & plan to do the same to my XPs.

WHEELS: the XPs have fewer choices, but ride much better. XP

DIGITAL DASH: Analog guages are easier to read at speed than digital - Griz

WEIGHT: The XP (and Popo's in general) are heavier, which make them smoother riding. It is also a double edged sword in the mud - if you can touch the bottom of the mud hole, you get better traction. If you cannot, you get hung up worse. The extra weight is harder to throw around on the trail, but almost (not quite) offset by the difference the new suspension makes. When you ride in snow, the XPs ride a little deeper & have to slug through a little more. But, at the end of the day, the XP beats you up less. Winner, XP.

JUMPING: I don't jump on purpose, but it happens from time to time. The less weight of the Griz rules here. Griz.

Overall, my XP rules. I purchased the Griz after 2 embattled years with my '05 SP700. In the end, 98% of my issues with the performance & reliability issues with the SP700 were the dealer's fault (seriously). However, the Griz definitely out performed the SP700 in every way but ride quality.

Then, Polaris announced the XP. I knew I had to have one. I traded my SP700 for a BMW convertible (another story for another day) and picked up the first 850XP sold here in NH.

It has been everything Polaris advertised it to be. I have some issues with idling, which Polaris/dealer has worked on. Still not perfect, but livable. The Griz EPS still handles a little better than the XP non-eps - but you need to be careful at mid to high speeds - EXTREMELY TIPPY. Power and ride of the XP are far superior. I prefer the choice of 3wd or 4wd of the Griz. ADC is overrated (around here at least)

Now why I have 2 XPs. I bought my XP last November. MrsBMQ refused to ride it - she literally did not want to know what she was missing. Last January she complained about traction in the snow on a particular ride, so I bought a new set of wheels & Bighorns for the Griz. MUCH better ride. On our next ride we had gone about 90 miles (me on my XP and MrsBMQ on the Griz) & were headed back to the truck (another 18 miles or so) & she told me she wasn't sure she could make it. Her hand warmers weren't working & she was exhausted. I switched quads with her as at least my hand warmers worked. Not a half mile down the trail (we have communicators) she informed me I was buying her an XP. Instead of feeling more tired she was sparking up as my XP was that much nicer to ride (I still had the stock Terriblethons on her). That was a Sunday. I really did have her on an new XP by Friday.
We still have the Griz & use it daily. We (wife & daughter) have horses & they use it 3-4 times daily to go between the house & the barn - the EPS does make a diffence. But our real riding is done on the XPs.

 

Excellent report. Non bias and based on first hand knowledge. Even with the gas tank lower in the frame you still feel the 700 is tippy. I really found mu buddies 660 Grizz to be very tippy especially when going slow ,turning and applying some power. the two inside wheels just want to lift and it really wants to throw you off.

 

Well the admission of Yugo ownership speaks volumes!!! lol Kind of pulls it all together for me...... yep enjoy your Yugo and Grizzly. I'll stay with my XP's ....

After all Polaris .... Is The Way Out!

btw BlueManQuad.... thanks for a legit comparison, very informative.

 

A much better report.

 

That's a little more in line with what I've been hearing in talking with people.